AIADMK | two different paths of two cards

picture of AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami Sitting alone in the AIADMK Legislature Party meeting on July 17 tells everything. The message is loud and clear: Mr Palaniswami, who was relatively unknown until he took office in February 2017, presents himself as the counterpart of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who was. The party’s “perpetual general secretary” until a few weeks ago,

Mr. Palaniswami’s thinking became clear when he became the Chief Minister about five and a half years ago. Unlike his predecessor O Panneerselvam, who did not occupy the chief minister’s chamber at Fort St George in Jayalalithaa’s honour, Sri Palaniswami had no such inhibitions. From day one, he used the room meant for the chief minister until he stepped down in May 2021.

‘not charismatic’

But his critics confirm this and even his fans admit that the newly appointed interim general secretary lacks the charisma that Jayalalithaa had. Perhaps this is the reason why Palaniswami constantly insists that even a worker from a modest background can rise to the top in the AIADMK. The 2021 assembly election showed that the absolute gap between the party and its main rival DMK was 4.41 percentage points and the difference in terms of vote share in the seats contested was 5.97 percentage points. In terms of votes cast, AIADMK got around 20.39 lakh votes less than DMK. The organization is likely to suffer further damage with Mr Panneerselvam’s expulsion, after it dented its vote base in 2017 after Jayalalithaa’s former aide and interim general secretary VK Sasikala and former MP TTV Dhinakaran were ousted from the party. and his associates.

“The future of the party depends on them” [Mr. Palaniswami’s] Leadership and ability to take the organization forward,” G. Palanithurai, a seasoned academic in political science and public administration. The interim general secretary displayed his managerial skills when he, as chief minister, ran the administration “without causing much public outrage”. An AIADMK historian has lauded Mr Palaniswami for taking a non-compromising stance against accommodating Ms. Sasikala or Mr. Dhinakaran at the time of the 2021 assembly elections, despite being advised by the BJP to do so.

But a new factor in Tamil Nadu politics that could pose a major challenge to the AIADMK is former police officer K.K. Entry of Annamalai as State President of BJP. And it cannot be ended. He has been able to create the impression that neither he nor his party is a shambles.

really, Newly elected deputy floor leader of AIADMK legislature party RB Udayakumar And Amma Pervai’s secretary of state, is less than acknowledging the impact of the “Annamalai factor”. He says there were “concerns” in some sections of the party that it was not functioning as an effective opposition party. “That is why we had to go for a reform measure. It’s not something we’ve done voluntarily. Yes, it is a bitter experience. But there is no other way,” he says, underlining the importance of restoring the single leadership and making Mr Palaniswami interim general secretary. He acknowledged that the party is not oblivious to the prospect of “taking some damage”.

‘Permanent Deposit’

At the same time, the former revenue minister, who represents Thirumangalam in the assembly, describes the “vote bank created by MGR”. [AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran] and as a “Permanent Fixed Deposit” maintained by Jayalalithaa. Even in the 2021 election, according to Mr Udayakumar, the difference between the AIADMK-led front and the winner was a “mere margin” of 1.92 lakh votes in 43 constituencies. “If we had won there, we would be in power now,” he argues, adding that the vote bank should be “augmented” from time to time.

Another factor that could cripple the functioning of top AIADMK leaders is a legal battle in the coming months in the light of corruption allegations against Mr. Palaniswami and several of his associates. when they were in power. It is not that the future of the interim Secretary General is full of uncertainty. The case of his former colleague Mr. Panneerselvam may differ from the other in details, but qualitatively, the deposed coordinator is also facing difficult days. The role of the third force in the political landscape of Tamil Nadu has historically been very limited. At best, it could be a spoiler, as Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam was in the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 10 years later Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). AIADMK suffered losses on both the occasions.

It remains to be seen whether Mr. Panneerselvam will remain an independent player or join hands with Ms. Sasikala and Mr. Dhinakaran, both of whom have been sidelined by the AIADMK. “As of now, there has been no formal discussion about associating herself with Ms. Sasikala. JCD Prabhakar, deputy co-ordinator of Panneerselvam says, “Despite talking about the possibility of getting him back in the party before the inner-party events of June-July, Mr. Panneerselvam has made no such observation in the past few weeks. ” Camp and two-time MLA. About five months ago, AIADMK office-bearers in Theni district, belonging to both urban and rural units, unanimously adopted a resolution that the party considers re-accepting both Mr. Dinakaran and Ms. Sasikala without any preconditions. The venue of the three-hour meeting was the farm house of Mr. Panneerselvam, who was also present.

‘Doubts Away’

The party machinery, overall, has rallied behind Mr Palaniswami, barring two more MLAs – R Vaithilingam and PH Manoj Pandian – and a handful of district secretaries. “When MGR came out of DMK, many MLAs did not comply. But the workers were with him,” recalls Mr. Prabhakar. Many had expressed “skepticism” over Mr. Panneerselvam’s being able to find persons for appointment as district secretaries.

“But so far, we have filled 60 posts of district secretaries out of a total of 75,” he says, adding that Mr. Panneerselvam’s approach has been “all-inclusive and accommodating” of the diverse and under-represented sections. of society.

Ms. Sasikala, who has resumed her political work Beginning of ‘Puratchi Payanam’ (A Revolutionary Journey) in different parts of the state, seems to be in a reconciliation mood towards PanneerselvamWho? rebelled against him in early February 2017 To start a campaign ‘Dharmayudham’ against the domination of his family in AIADMK. Even before Ms Sasikala returned to Chennai in February 2021, talks of rapprochement between the two leaders were underway. completing his imprisonment in Bangalore, This was further strengthened in September 2021 when Ms. Sasikala called on him The day his wife died in a hospital in Chennai.

About a week ago, he issued a statement terming the expulsion of Mr. Panneerselvam’s son and Theni MP P. Raveendranath as “unfair”. In early March, his younger brother O. Raja, who was also the head of Theni District Co-operative Milk Producers Association (Aavin), met him in Tiruchendur. For this he was expelled from the party. A few days ago, Mr. Panneerselvam issued a statement withdrawing all those who had been expelled from the party before July 11 and expressed their desire to return to the party. Will Mr. Raja also be involved in this? “Of course,” Mr Prabhakar retorted, adding that “blanket approval” has been given for those who want to return.

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However, there may be an area of ​​difference between Mr. Panneerselvam and Ms. Sasikala. While he has been projecting himself as a defender of ‘dual leadership’, he is in favor of ‘single leadership’. Mr. Dhinakaran, on his part, appears to be making his way freely and he is determined in his goal of “recovering” the AIADMK from the grip of “opponents”, a term that now applies to Mr. Palaniswami. He has reactivated his party network. He may not be in the limelight after the defeat in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, but still he is counted among those people in political circles who can change the party’s fortunes.

It appears that the AIADMK and the BJP will run together in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, considering the camaraderie that exists between the leaders of the two parties. Mr. Panneerselvam is also keen to continue the partnership with the national party. In some circles, it is expected that the BJP will do everything possible to bring all constituents of the “AIADMK family” under one umbrella and contest the elections, including Ms. Sasikala and Mr. Dinakaran; Eventually, he made one such attempt, though it was unsuccessful at the time of the assembly elections. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “advice” to Mr. Panneerselvam had facilitated the coming together of Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Panneerselvam’s groups in August 2017.

Regardless of any such move by the BJP in the near future, what should be clear to both Mr. Panneerselvam and Mr. Palaniswami is that their political future as well as that of AIADMK depends on success in the electoral battle. in two years.